Learning and professional development
Acquiring and applying new knowledge to enhance skills and drive personal and organisational growth.
This is a prototype for SFIA 9. It is subject to change before publication.
Guidance notes
This encompasses the ongoing process of enhancing one's skills and knowledge. It's not just about formal education but includes experiential learning, self-directed study, and professional growth activities.
Effective learning and development in the workplace requires a commitment to continuous improvement and adaptability. As professionals advance, their role in learning evolves from personal skill enhancement to fostering an organisational culture of learning and development.
Learning and professional development in the SFIA framework represent a progression from personal skill development and knowledge acquisition at lower levels to leading and inspiring a culture of learning and growth at higher levels. This evolution underscores the importance of continuous learning for professional growth and organisational success.
Level 1 - Follow
- Applies newly acquired knowledge to develop skills for their role. Contributes to identifying own development opportunities.
Level 2 - Assist
- Absorbs and applies new information to tasks. Recognises personal skills and knowledge gaps and seeks learning opportunities to address them.
Level 3 - Apply
- Absorbs and applies new information effectively with the ability to share learnings with colleagues.
- Takes the initiative in identifying and negotiating their own appropriate development opportunities.
Level 4 - Enable
- Rapidly absorbs and critically assesses new information and applies it effectively.
- Maintains an awareness of emerging practices and their application and takes responsibility for driving own and team members’ development opportunities.
Level 5 - Ensure, advise
- Uses their skills and knowledge to help establish the standards that others in the organisation will apply.
- Takes the initiative to develop a wider breadth of knowledge across industry and/or business and identify and manage development opportunities in area of responsibility.
Level 6 - Initiate, influence
- Promotes the application of knowledge to support strategic imperatives.
- Actively develops their strategic and technical leadership skills and leads the development of skills in their area of accountability.
Level 7 - Set strategy, inspire, mobilise
- Inspires a learning culture to align with business objectives.
- Maintains an understanding and awareness of contemporary and emerging industry landscapes.
- Ensures the organisation develops and mobilises the full range of required skills and capabilities.